PETA Says Cheese Is ‘Sexist’

Because according to PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, cheese is the most sexist thing you can eat. The innocent-looking piece of Provolone on your sub sandwich or wedge of Brie at cocktail hour is actually the “product of imprisonment, rape, reproductive control, kidnapping, and abuse.”

Pizza, anyone? In its never-ending quest to equate animal rights with human rights (founder Ingrid Newkirk’s famous quote is “a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”), PETA now claims cows are raped to produce the milk that ends up in your mozzarella. The group posted a video on its website (credited to a Brazilian affiliate) showing various clips of animal brutality including “cows who are imprisoned on dairy farms [that] are forcibly impregnated through artificial insemination again and again on rape racks. Rape racks. All for your milk, cheese, and yogurt.” Stopping this practice, the group suggests, is as important as stopping “sex trafficking, slavery, genital mutilation, and honor killings.”

PETA urges folks to go vegan to end sexism: “Help end violence, reproductive control, and rape of females of animal species who desperately need us to speak up for them. Try delicious plant-based milk, vegan cheese, and dairy-free yogurt. Our vegan mentors can answer your questions and help you leave sexism off your plate.”

PETA is desperate to curb an uptick in U.S. dairy consumption over the past 20 years. According to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture, Americans ate 627 pounds of milk-based products apiece in 2015, up from 570 pounds in 1995. Yogurt consumption more than doubled and sexist cheese-eating increased by 40 percent. (I can only imagine the surge since Trump was elected.)

Adding full-fat dairy, eggs, and butter to your diet is back in fashion as nutritional science continues to debunk the lousy dietary advice we have been fed the past few decades, which is to replace animal by-products with carbohydrates. PETA can see the writing on the barn wall and is now trying to halt a continued rise in dairy consumption by making you a rape accomplice when you sprinkle parmesan on your pasta.

I asked two women in dairy farming for a response to PETAs accusations. Joanna Lidback is a mom of two and runs a dairy farm in northeastern Vermont where they milk about 60 cows. “Cow health and comfort is the number one concern for farmers, many of whom also happen to be women,” Lidback told me. “They are trying to paint a picture of cattle that equates them to humans. They are not forcibly impregnated, they are in heat and biologically ready to be impregnated.” She said there is no such thing as a rape rack: “That’s a term created by vegan/animal activists. Of course there are no rape racks.”

Jodi Venema DeHate is a technician for the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program and assists dairy farmers in part of that state. She explained that many dairy farmers use artificial insemination to protect their cows. “Bulls are very large, close to a ton when fully grown. An average cow is 1,500 to 1,800 pounds, so a bull mounting a cow can cause damage to the cow since he’s so large.” Apparently, bulls are not exactly the sweetest farm animal to have around, either. “Bulls are also territorial and get mean fairly quickly,” DeHate said. “Bulls are good at breeding cows but are just not very nice to the farmer.” So asking women to walk around a public event half-naked and offer cream to get men’s attention is not sexist but eating cheddar is.

It’s a little ironic for PETA to cry sexism about cheese-eating, since the group was recently accused of exploiting women and using “sexist marketing techniques” during a promotion at Wimbledon last month. In a July 3 press release, PETA-UK said, “Today, decked out in 1950s-style swimsuits, two sexy PETA models handed out cups of strawberries and vegan cream to the crowds queuing for Wimbledon.” The women wore bikinis and high heels; the stunt was roundly criticized by activists on social media.

The head of PETA-UK, Elisa Allen, defended the move. “We are an organization founded, directed, and largely staffed by women. We are all feminists but not prudes,” she told the Daily Mail. “And we believe a woman has the absolute right to use her body in any way she chooses, without a father, brother, or anyone else telling her to cover up. It is important to recognize that sexual does not mean sexist.” So asking women to walk around a public event half-naked and offer cream to get men’s attention is not sexist but eating cheddar is. Got it.

Of course, this is just one example of the Left’s reflex to “ism” every thought, comment, or action. At the same time, it diminishes the real meaning of the word “rape” and equates a dairy cow being inseminated with your daughter being sexually assaulted. That’s enough of a reason to do exactly the opposite of what PETA demands. Go order some extra cheese on that pizza.